Whiskers & Claws
by Britedark
Summary: Who's the cutest, furriest of all? And the terror of the skies? None other than the firecat Kirara. In this collection, she gets to scamper or roar on her own behalf... #5: Midnight Grooming - During a late-night grooming, Kirara makes several observations...
1. Curiosity

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Curiosity**

Ignoring the sad chatter of her kittens and the tom, Kirara leaned down, hind claws digging deep into the wood, forepaws braced lightly against the wall. Head lowered, nose slightly wrinkled, mouth slightly open, she tried to discern just what had attracted her attention. Something of Kagome's, but what?

Mrrf! This was getting her nowhere! Kirara whipped her tails back and forth, and then decided the somnolent well was safe enough to explore. Pushing off, she dropped into the well. Sango shrieked in dismay. Kirara tilted her ears back—silly kitten! She was perfectly safe. Pfft!

She landed with a solid, four-footed thump, as if to warn any invisible foes that the neko was _here_. Spotting a long, pale, slender form propped up in one corner, ears and whiskers pricked forward. Kagome's bow! How strange! Kirara tilted her head and sat down to study it. Why hadn't dog-boy retrieved it from the well? Surely he'd sensed it—his senses were almost as good as hers, after all.

Well, normally. Perhaps his grief had dulled his senses: he was half-human, after all.

Should she drag the bow up? She wasn't a dog, to play fetch, but if seeing the bow made her kitten happier …

The well was quite narrow. Vaulting up onto her hind feet, Kirara transformed, dropping big fore paws on either side of the bow. Delicately, she clamped her teeth around the end of the bow—

_Wham!_

… … …

Mrow-ow-ow! What was she doing on her back, why did her skin, her fur, her head hurt! Claws scratched at her chest: realizing who the idiot was, she bit. Hard.

"Ow! Stupid cat!"

_Stupid dog! _ He knew she hated being carried upside down! Kirara bit again.

"Alright, alright," came the mutter, and then a move, which left her nestled in the crook of his arm, properly upright. "Don't you know better than to touch someone's weapon, without permission? Tessaiga burns youkai, and that bow can be just as fussy."

_Oh._ Dog-boy had a point. She should have remembered. That bow was a miko weapon, which meant it was worse than a youkai weapon. _Meh. _Magic weapons. Just leave them alone.

The delightful, sharp claws scratched gently through her fur as hanyo and humans talked. She ignored them, purring as the pain faded.

Petting was more important than magic weapons.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I've written several pieces about Kirara, and decided that it's time she had her very own collection. Prior pieces where she stars (or co-stars) can be found in Little Bits: (#7 Ears; #34 Partners;) Waiting For Kagome #21 The Feline View: White To Black #8 Lessoning the Kitten.

This piece was posted in a shorter version for the LiveJournal community ib4y, the prompt being a picture of Kirara, Sango, Miroku and Shippo looking down the well. It was originally posted on March 28, 2011. It placed second.

(July 5 2011)


	2. Encounter

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Encounter<strong>

Kirara was hunting when she smelled blood. She paused, forefoot half-raised, puzzled. The smell was—odd, for it combined human and youkai notes. Going back to a run, she followed the trail, slowing to a stalk as the odor strengthened.

The intensity of the blood smell on the ground misled her. "Stay away, neko!" spat a young voice from above. "Don't come closer! I'll kill you!"

Kirara snapped her head up. Several trees over and at least three man-heights up sat a scrawny, red-clad, white-haired boy with white—_ears? _

Her rump hit the ground as she realized. _Inu hanyo._ _The _inu hanyo, son of the deceased Inu no Taisho. And badly hurt.

She shrank, giving a long, plaintive mew. If she could just persuade the puppy to trust and follow her: surely her humans would not object to helping him. Several orphan human children had followed her to their welcome arms, in recent memory: surely, this one could find welcome, too.

"You're not tricking me, neko!" he yelled, lunging to his feet, wobbling. "You just want to trick me and kill me—I won't let you!" Golden claws slashed through the air: Kirara didn't move, recognizing that the claws were off target. "Next time, I won't miss!"

Kirara crouched, gave another long mew, and started to inch her way forward. Another wave of claws descended; this time better aimed. Leaping backwards, she considered. Regretfully, she turned and trotted away. He was too scared and angry to understand her cues. Increasing her speed to a gallop, taking to the air in the first clearing, she headed back towards her village. The headwoman was both clever and kind, and would willingly follow Kirara back.

But, as she feared, when she returned with her current partner, the boy was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This was originally written for the prompt "Follow" for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was posted on April 18, 2011.


	3. Attracting Trouble

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Attracting Trouble<strong>

Kirara leaned against the youki winds of the disappearing castle, letting gravity claim her again. All four feet firmly on the ground, she watched, bemused, as Kagome hurried over to the fallen Koga. The young human was looking to pick up as much trouble as a queen trotting around two randy tomcats, the way she was so concerned about Koga. Kirara felt disgusted at the waste in the slaughter of so many wolf-youkai, but she was not inclined to feel particularly sorry for them. Neither her own kind, nor the taijiya, were friends of the wolf-tribe, after all.

And anyone using shards was yowling for trouble.

Thus, she stayed near the back of the small group, more concerned with being alert to other trouble, than fretting over the fate of the poisoned youkai. So, she was the only one to see Inuyasha turn away, and then stagger. Instantly, she was next to him, gently rubbing against him to let him know he had her support. Releasing his injured arm, he petted her head. Giving a low rumble, she wedged her shoulders between his arm and his body, and then gave him a harder nudge. As she expected, his knees buckled: she caught him on her side and went down to the ground with him. He grimaced and clutched his chest, sweat breaking out on his forehead. Kirara turned her head and snuffled his face. He smelled of pain and exhaustion and shock—unsurprising, given the punishment he had taken from the wolf youkai, followed by the effort to fight the wind sorceress. Tightening her curl around him, Kirara started purring, and with a momentary flex of her front claws, rippled a wave of heated youki through her fur.

Inuyasha grunted in surprise, as the wave of warmth went through him. He sagged, almost instantly asleep, and she swept her twin tails over him to provide more warmth.

Keeping one ear on the still-oblivious humans and fox kit, Kirara considered the sleeping Inuyasha. Unlike Koga, she liked the young hanyo, even if he were half inu-youkai. He was good to her Sango, and that was important. He had all the traits the taijiya village looked for in their young. And he had cute ears, and almost enough fur.

But, oh, by all her lives and all her tails, did he always attract trouble, even back when he'd been a barely-weaned pup. So much of it because of what he was—to be hanyo was to have more difficulty dropping trouble, than defying gravity. But, how long was he going to refuse to recognize that the Shikon no Tama was nothing more than poisoned bait?

Use it to become pure youkai?

Phleh!

Heedless puppy.

She hoped he would manage to survive his wrong-headed desire, and the quest.

She hoped they all would.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This drabble was originally posted on the LiveJournal community I-B-4-Y, for the prompt "Trouble defies the law of gravity. It's easier to pick up than to drop." It was originally posted on April 25, 2011. It took second place.


	4. For Catmint

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>For Catmint<strong>

Bored, displeased that the pack-leader had taken his two kittens on a hunt without her, Kirara chose to wander outside the fortified village, following the elusive smell of catmint. Spring had started later than usual; the humans had never been willing to spare any of their limited garden space for her use, and it had been so long since she had her favorite treat!

She passed several tiny patches, where the new season's growth had not yet provided enough leaves for her enjoyment. Finally, she found a patch sheltering in the warm lee of a stone, glowing in the sun, thick and lush.

And all hers.

Shrinking, Kirara mewed and pounced. Rolling wildly, her weight crushed the stems and released blasts of intoxicating smell. Catching stems between her forepaws, Kirara nibbled on the leaves, her mouth filling with tingling, green flavor. Her mind began to fizz. She rolled again, catching new stems, nibbling on new leaves. She rabbit-kicked imaginary foes, and yowled her pleasure. Oh, spring! Oh, green! Oh, mint!

Sated, she snoozed, aware of nothing but the green smells.

Until an errant breeze, redolent with blood-smell, wafted across her whiskers.

Eyes flashing open, Kirara hopped unsteadily onto the rock, and sniffed, jaws parted. She smelled and tasted the laden breeze, and identified its contents.

Human blood. And youkai.

Instincts tore through the pleasant haze. Youki flashed as fire, burning out the intoxication even as she grew. With a roar, Kirara leapt upwards, legs churning as she flew at full speed back to the village that had been home for so many years. But, even before she arrived, she knew it would be too late, that vengeance was all she would be able to claim.

At least, the two kittens were away, guarded by their sire.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This piece was written for the prompt "Growth", for the Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes community on LiveJournal. It was originally posted on January 16, 2012. It took first. (4/14/2012)


	5. Midnight Grooming

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

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><p><strong>Midnight Grooming<strong>

Little Kirara yawned, the motion spreading her whiskers wide. Sitting up, she licked a paw and began to groom her face, paying particular attention to the luxuriant growth on either side of her mouth. Her face clean, she arched her whiskers, tasting the breeze, the ebb and flow of youki and reiki.

Something was wrong. Kirara glanced up, sniffing. Dog-boy was sleeping, when he was usually awake, guarding. There'd been that fight earlier, and dog-boy yelling that he didn't need Kagome's help for his injuries. Usually, he was right, but... she sniffed again. Blood smell not fresh, but there was a sour tang of poison, and a reek of pain.

Hmph. Dog-boy obviously hadn't groomed himself. Working on cleaning between the toes, Kirara considered options, then strolled over to the girl in the funny-smelling nest. A few judicious licks, and Kagome woke with a small yelp. Kirara patted her face, then looked up at the hidden Inuyasha. Human eyes followed, and narrowed in understanding. "Hurt worse than he admitted, huh?" Nod. Annoyance and determination replaced sleepiness. "Right."

A scramble, a shape-shift, and lift, one subdued argument, and a sulky Inuyasha was on the ground, getting his injuries properly groomed, with the rest of the pack still asleep and no wiser. Kirara retreated to Sango's side and started her own grooming, well pleased.

Kagome had good instincts, for a human.

If she just grew whiskers and claws, she'd make a good cat.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This was originally written for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha Fanfiction Contest, for the prompt "Whiskers." It was originally posted on June 19, 2012. It won the contest. (6/26/2012)


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